Tabulator controlling apparatus



Sept. 10, 1940- J. T. COX ET AL.

TABULATOR CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORS JOHN Tv COX STEVEN A. ZGRANIK THEI ATTORNEY Sept. 10, 1940.

2 Sheets-Shem 2 FIGZ INVENTORS JOHN T.COX STEVEN A. ZGRANIK av aww fwE RATTOFQNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNETED STAT S ATENT OFFICE TABULATORCONTROLLING APPARATUS Application November 5, 1937, Serial No. 172,926

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to automatic controlling mechanism fortabulating machines and more particularly to a means for preventing thefeeding of record cards in a tabulating machine, when the translatingunit thereof has been incorrectly placed in the machine.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings as applied to atabulating machine of the Powers type which, as is well known in theart, operates on perforated record cards to compute and record the datapunched in these cards. The Powers machine comprises generally a storagechamber in which the cards to be tabulated are placed, feed mechanismfor ejecting the cards seriatim from the chamber, sensing mechanism foranalyzing the perforations in the card, computing and printingmechanism, operable from the sensing mechanism, and translatingmechanism for transmitting the data from the sensing mechanism to thecomputing and printing mechanism. The machine is power driven andentirely automatic in its operation so that when a stack of cards isplaced in the storage chamber and the machine started one card willnormally be fed from the chamber eachmachine cycle until the machine isstopped, either manually or through several automatic controlling meansmounted in the machine itself. The translating mechanism mentioned aboveis comprised in a unitary removable structure and will thereinafter bereferred to as the translator. Contained in the translator is aplurality of wires supported between upper and lower frame plates of theunit, these wires being operable by pins associated with the cardsensing mechanism. When the translator is positioned correctly in themachine the lower ends of the Wires therein lie directly over theirrespective sensing unit pins so that if a pin is elevated, thecorresponding translator wire will also be elevated to set up a stop inthe computing mechanism in the well known manner. The translators usedin the Powers machines are of such construction and are so fitted in themachines as to enable them to be easily removed and replaced by one ofdifferent wiring in order that varying types of accounting problems maybe performed on one machine. The translator is adapted to be mountedupon guide rails and may be moved easily in and out of the machine bythe operator. In the practical application of this machine it has beenfound that occasionally, through inadvertence on the part of theoperator, a translator may be incorrectly positioned in the machine withthe result that the wires therein are not directly aligned with the pinsof the sensing mechanism. If this error is not noticed and correctedbefore the machine is started, the sensing pins will be ineffective toelevate their proper translator wires and also may be damaged bycontacting the frame- :5 work of the translator.

In order to prevent an occurrence such as that described above, thedevice of the present application has been developed which device servesto prevent the operation of the card feed mechanism until the translatoris correctly positioned in the machine. Proper adjustment of thetranslator will disable the device of the invention and permit normalfeeding of cards. As explained more fully in the description to follow,if no card is present to be operated upon by the sensing mechanism thepins thereof will be prevented from rising and will thus be kept fromdamage or faulty operation of the translator wires. This function ofdisabling the sensing mechanism when no card is present in the sensingchamber is old and well known in the Powers machine and is disclosed inU. S. Patent No. 2,044,119 to William W. Lasker, issued June 16, 1936.

One objection of our invention is to prevent misoperation of atabulating machine, resulting from an improper insertion of thetranslator unit, through the provision of a card feed disabling meanswhich means is rendered ineffective when the translator is correctlypositioned in the machine.

Another object of our invention is to provide a lever, spring urged toeffective position, for causing the disabling of the card feed mechanismof the machine, said lever being operable by the framework of thetranslator and movable thereby into ineffective position when thetranslator is correctly positioned in the machine.

Another object of our invention is to indicate an incorrect adjustmentof the translator in a tabulating machine by holding the card feedmechanism disabled when such a condition occurs.

Other objects and structural details of our invention will be apparentfrom the following description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of the base portion of the machine in leftehand crosssection and shows gen-- erally the path of travel of the cards throughthe machine and part of the card feed disabling mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a View of the base portion. of the ma.- chine in left-handside elevation and shows the operating source of the card feed mechanismand 55 the stopping and starting mechanism of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a detailed isometric view of the card feed disablingmechanism.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION Inasmuch as the mechanism of the invention relatesprimarily to the card feed mechanism of the machine and certaincontrolling means therefor, the major portion of the followingdescription is directed towards a disclosure of this mechanism. For adisclosure of operating mechanism not specifically described herein,reference should be made to the previously mentioned Lasker Patent2,044,119. The computing and printing mechanisms are neither illustratednor described in the present application but are basically the same asthose disclosed in the U. S. patent to James Powers No. 1,245,502,issued November 6, 1917.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 the previouslymentioned storage chamber I, in which the cards to be tabulated areplaced. In a manner later to be described the cards are ejected singlyfrom the chamber I and by means of a pair of power driven feed rolls 2are fed into the sensing chamber comprised of a pair of perforatedplates 8 and 4. Each successive card is held in the sensing chamber fora certain definite interval by a reciprocable card stop 5. During thetime the card is held between the plates 3 and 4, it is sensed by aplurality of pins 6 supported in a reciprocable pin box 1 movable by aneccentric disk 8 secured to a shaft 9 supported between the side framesof the machine. The shaft 9 is the main cam shaft of the machine andcontrols all of the operating mechanisms of the base including the cardfeed mechanism as will presently appear. The main shaft 9 is connected,in a Well known manner, to a source of power and suitable clutchmechanism is interposed between the shaft and the power source. Variouswell known controlling means are provided for operating the above clutchmechanism, these means including both manually operable andautomatically controlled mechanisms. Thus, once for each cycle of theshaft 9, the pin box I is reciprocated vertically and the pins 6contained therein sense the card positioned between the. plates 3 and 4.The pins 6 are provided in columns of twelve with forty-five columnscomprising the entire unit. At a point near the end of the upward travelof the pin box I, the pins 6 pass through the perforations in the lowerplate 3 and, according to the location of the perforations in the card,either pass through such perforations or limit against imperforateportions of the card. As the pin box I completes its upward travel,those pins 6 which have passed through perforations in the card continuetheir travel through the upper plate 4 to contact and elevate anassociated intermediate pin I I. Those pins 6 which find no perforationmerely press idly against the lower surface of the card against thetension of a spring (not shown), one of which surrounds each of the pins6. The intermediate pins I I are equal in number to the pins 6 and aresimilarly arranged in a fixed pin box I2. The lower ends of the pins IIare positioned directly over the upper ends of their respective pins 6and one of which surrounds each of the pins I I. The

card stop 5 is, as was prevoiusly mentioned, a reciprocating element andis under the control of a cam (not shown) mounted on the main shaft 9.The card stop is normally lowered, in the position shown in Fig. 1, toblock the exit of the sensing chamber but is raised momentarily once foreach machine cycle to permit the card just sensed to be moved out ofsensing position. The card is ejected from the sensing chamber by a pairof power driven feed rolls (not shown) operating in conjunction with apair of cooperating pressure rolls I4 and is fed thereby into areceiving pocket I5 through the medium of a set of power driven ejectrolls I6.

Positioned directly above the intermediate pin box I2 is the translator,indicated by the reference numeral I I and shown mounted upon a pair ofguide rails I8 (one shown) supported in a manner not shown herein by theside frames of the machine. Contained in the translator I1 is aplurality of wires I9 adapted to be elevated by the pins I I. Aspreviously mentioned the translator wires I9 act as a transmitting meansbetween the sensing mechanism and the printing and computing mechanism.The well known function of these wires is to set up digit stops in thehead section of the machine (not shown herein), thereby positioning theaccumulator actuating racks and the printing sectors. A translator ofthe type described above is shown in one form in Fig. 11 of the U. S.Patent 2,044,119. The translator I1 is adapted to be moved along theguide rails I8 and when correctlypositioned in the machine the wires I9therein are in direct alignment with their respective intermediate pinsI I.

Card feed mechanism 1 The previously mentioned card feed mechanism,whereby one card is ejected from the storage chamber I each machinecycle, is under the control of a cam'on the main shaft 9. Situated inthe base of the storage chamber-I is a picker knife and block (notshown) connected to an arm 2I (Fig. 1) fast on a shaft 22, journalledbetween the side frames of the machine and extending slightly outsidethe left-hand side frame.

Referring now to Fig. 2 there is secured to the extreme left-hand end ofthe shaft 22 an upstanding arm 23 connected by means of a link 24 toanother arm 25. The arm 25 is pivoted toa stud 26 set in the left-handside frame and there is mounted on the arm, at a point near its upperend, a roller 2'I. The roller 21 is adapted to ride on the periphery ofa cam 28 secured to the shaft 9 and is caused to follow the contour ofthe cam by a spring 29, tensioned between the arm 23 and a stud on theframe piece. From the shape of cam 28 it will be seen that once for eachcycle of the shaft 9the pair of arms 25 and 23 will be rocked in acounter-clockwise direction (Fig. 2), thereby imparting a similarrocking motion to the shaft 22. The shaft 22 thus normally moves in areciprocable rocking motion once for each cycle of the shaft 9 andthrough the arm 2| effects operation of the picker knife to eject a cardfrom the storage chamber.

Also illustrated in Fig. 2 is the stopping and starting mechanism of themachine, shown in the position it assumes when the machine is stoppedand the storage chamber and sensing chamber are empty of cards. Thestop-start mechanism shown herein is similar in its general features ofconstruction and operation to that shown in the above Patent 2,044,119.

Card feed disabling mechanism A well known feature of the Powers typetabulating machine is its function of interrupting the operation of thecard feed mechanism during a total taking operation. The taking of atotal in these machines requires several cycles of operation so thatprovision is made whereby the feeding of cards is prevented during thesecertain cycles. As shown in Fig. 2 the link 24, which connects the arms23 and 25 is formed with a notch 3| adapted to be engaged by a latch 32secured to a stud shaft 33. The latch 32 is tensioned upwards by meansof a spring 34 and normally assumes the disengaged position illustrated.If, however, the shaft 33 is rocked a short distance in acounter-clockwise direction (Fig. 2) the latch 32 will be forceddownward to engage the notch 3|. The cam 28 is thus rendered ineffectiveand the card picker knife is held in extreme retracted position againstthe tension of the spring 29. It will be seen, therefore, that as longas the shaft 33 is held rocked the card feed mechanism will continue tobe held disabled and that when the operating means for rocking thisshaft is withdrawn, the spring 34 will restore the latch 32 to normaldisengaged position thereby permitting the resumption of card feeding.Considering now Figs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that the stud shaft 33 issupported by the left-hand side frame and that secured to the right-handend of the shaft, and positioned a short distance inside the framepiece, is a rearwardly extending arm 35. Corinected to the arm 35 is anupwardly extending link 36 resiliently connected at its upper end to oneend of a lever 31. As explained in somewhat greater detail below, thelever 3? is operated by a cam of the total unit and it is through thisassembly comprising lever 31, link 36 and arm 35 that the shaft 33 isrocked to disable card feeding during total cycles. The card feeddisabling means, as thus far described, is identical in all points ofconstruction and operation to that disclosed in the previously mentionedPatent No. 2,044,119. This chain of mechanism, shown herein in Figs. 1and 3 is illustrated in Fig. 22 of the above patent wherein theoperating cam controlling the movement of the disabling mechanism isindicated by the reference numeral 370. In the present application thissame cam is given the same reference character. The cam 310 is a part ofa rotatable cam and ratchet unit (only partially shown herein) which isnormally inactive and moves only during total taking operations. Oneform of this cam and ratchet unit is disclosed in the above patent andreference may be made thereto for a complete description of the functionof this unit.

During the usual total taking operation the unit comprising the cam 310is advanced in three step like motions under the control of a normallyineffective cam (not shown) on the main shaft 9. The cam 310 is formedwith three high points upon one of which a roller, mounted on therearmost end of the lever 31, is adapted to ride during two of the threesteps of movement of the cam. The direction of motion of the cam 310 asit moves from normal is clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1' and as its highspot moves beneath the roller on lever 31, the lever is rocked in aclockwise direction about its pivot 38 thereby forcing downward the link36 and rocking the shaft 33.

The present invention contemplates a second,

and independently operable, means for forcing the link 36 downward. Thismeansis embodied in a bellcrank lever 39 positioned above the link 36and pivoted to a stud 41 mounted on a fixed frame piece 42. The framepiece 42 is secured to the previously mentioned intermediate pin box 42and besides serving as a support for the lever 33 serves another purposenot pertinent to the present invention. The lever 33 extends forwardlyand rearwardly of its pivot ll and is tensioned in a clockwise directionby a spring 2-3 connected at one end to the forward arm of the lever andat its other end to a bracket 44 secured to the lefthand side frame. Therear arm of the lever 39 extends slightly downward and is formed with asmooth round surface at its far end which is adapted to bear against theframe of the translator l i. As is shown particularly in Fig. 3 theforward arm of the lever 33 is bent leftwardly and overlies a laterallyextending stud 35 integral with the upper end of the link 36. The springH3 is of a greater strength than the oppositely disposed spring 34 (seeFig. 3) and unless a sufficient retaining pressure is applied againstthe rear arm of the lever 39, the lever will be rocked in a clockwisedirection (Fig. 1) thereby depressing the link 36 and rendering latcheffective, as above. Thus, if no translator is in the machine the cardfeed mechanism is disabled, but in inserting the translator it is movedforwardly along the guide rails 13 and just before it reaches itsfarthest forward position the rear framework thereof contacts the rearrounded edge of the lever 33. The additional movement required to alignthe translator correctly in the machine serves to rock the lever 39 in acounter-clockwise direction, against the tension of spring 43, therebyrelieving the pressure which the lever exerts upon the link 36 andenabling the spring 34 to move the latch 32 to ineffective position andreturn the chain of mechanism associated there with to normal. Theweight or inertia of the translator is sufficient in itself to hold thelever 35*) disabled, but all of the standard Powers type translators areprovided with a latching means not shown herein whereby they may beretained in correct position. In order that the lever 39 may becompletely disabled the translator must be moved to its extreme forwardposition in the machine and if, through some inadvertence, this shouldnot be done the lever will continue to be held effective and the cardfeed mechanism will remain disabled. If the machine is started while inthis condition no cards'will be fed from the storage chamber and theoperator will thereby be apprised of the fact that the translator hasbeen incorrectly positioned.

Earlier in the specification mention was made of the fact that if nocardis present in the sensing chamber, comprised of plates 3 and 4 (Fig. 1),a complete sensing operation will be prevented from taking place and thepins H cannot be raised. The mechanism for performing this function isold and well known in the Powers machine and a detailed description ofits construction and operation may be found in the Lasker Patent No.2,044,119. Briefly stated, the principle of this operation lies in thesefacts. As previously mentioned each of the sensing pins 6 is urgedupwardly by an individual compression spring (not shown herein) Whiletheir associated intermediate pins II are urged downwardly by similarsprings l3. The springs l3 are, however, stronger than the springssurrounding the pins 6 so that a pin 6 is unable to elevate itsrespective pins 6 a locking slide 46 is provided for each column ofsensing pins in the lower pin box 1.

.which have passed through perforations in the Latching slots are cut ineach ofthe slides 46 ,which slots coact with extrusions formed on thepins 6. The locking slides 46 are spring urged towards the front of themachine but, through means clescribedin greater detail in the abovepatent, they are normallyheld latched in the ineffectiveposition'sho-wninFig. 1at which time the pins t are under the solecontrol of their respective compression springs. means whereby theslides 46'are held ineffective is controlled by an auxiliary pin 41 (notcompletely. shown herein) supported in the pin box fl. This auxiliarypin reciprocateswith the pin box l and suitable openings are providedfor it in the sensing chamber plates 3 and 4. When the pin box rises ata time when no card is presentvin the sensing chamber the upward travel,of the auxiliary pin 41 is uninterruptedand the latching meanscontrolling movement of the slides 46 remains efiective. However, if acard is present in the chamber an imperfo'rate portion of the card ispositioned over the auxiliary pin so that the pinis prevented fromrising to its full extent. When this occurs the locking slides 46 areunlatched and under the pressure oftheir spring move to theright toengage those sensing pins 6 card and, during the remainder of the upwardtravel of thepin box, impart a positive driving action to these pins.The sensing pins which do not pass through perforations in the card arenot in position to be engaged by the slides 46.

Thus, since an incorrectly positioned translator permits the card feedmechanism to be held dis-.

The latching abled no cardwill be fed into the sensing chamber whereuponthe locking slides 46 will remain operated thereby rendering this mediumineffec I tive to control the movements of the latch 32.

While we. have described what We consider to be a highly desirableembodiment of our invention, it is obvious that many changes in formcould be made without departing from the spirit of our invention, andwe, therefore,.do not limit ourselves tothe exact'form herein shown anddescribed, nor to anythingv less, than the whole of our invention ashereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

In a tabulating machine having a reciprocable pin box, a removabletranslator unit with translating elements set by said pin box and a cardfeed mechanism including a card picker arm, the combination of a latchfor holding said picker arm from feeding, a movable sensing leverdisplaced from effective position by said translator unit when thelatter is in home position, and means actuated by said sensing lever inits return for moving said latch into effective position when saidtranslator'is removed.

" JOHN T. COX.

STEVEN A. ZGRANIK.

